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I am a 44 year old single mother of two beautiful children; Brian 20, and Nicole 17. Being a mom is the thing I am most proud of; I could sit and ta...
 
 
 
 

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An Open Letter To All Presidential Candidates

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TO: All Presidential Candidates And Their Campaign Managers.

REGARDING: A Political Strategy That Could Win The Election, While Regaining The Trust Of The American People.

FROM: A Mom Who Cares About America.

All this talk about the millions of dollars being raised by the Presidential candidates really got me thinking......Are these campaign managers really getting the most "bang" for their "buck"? And, is any of this money contributing to the overall welfare of the American people?

After just three months of fundraising, the candidates for president in 2008 have already raised more than $150 million. No presidential money chase has ever started so quickly. By some predictions, the eventual nominees will need to raise $500 million apiece to compete—a record sum. -- see specific breakdown of each candidate

Campaign reform is obviously not working. More and more money to political campaigns is coming from corporate lobbies, hoping to have policy written in their favor. Just two examples of this would be; the Pharmaceutical Lobbies and the Oil & Gas Lobbies. As much as I hate it, I don't see any sign of this practice stopping. So, for the sake of stopping "chasing our tails" on this one....let's just "throw in the towel". Let the politicians raise as much money as they want from all willing to fund them.

Check out the MONEY WEB -- This social networking tool—new to OpenSecrets.org for the '08 election—illustrates links between candidates and donors. Included in this web are the 5 top contributors and industries (including ties) to each of the candidates we profile. Click on a bubble to start making connections among candidates, their top-giving industries and top contributors.

I would just like to suggest a better way of spending this money during the campaign, in order to optimize the amount of votes this money could actually "buy" for a campaign. Really, lets just say it..."buy"....it is what is happening.

Federal Election Commission reports show the Republican committee has spent $41.9 million attacking Democrats and $5 million praising its own candidates -- an 8-to-1 negative-to-positive ratio. The Democratic committee has spent $18 million attacking Republicans and $3.1 million backing Democrats -- an almost 6-to-1 negative-to-positive ratio.

"A lot of people are saying this is most negative election in history, but I'm always skeptical of those comments because I hear them every election," said Brooks Jackson, director of Factcheck.org and a longtime political reporter for CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. "This time it might be true. It's hard to see when over 90 percent of the Republican ads are negative how you could go any more negative than this." -- full article

Let's just make it work for the greater good of the American people.

Interactive Federal Budget Pie Chart -- She where federal funds are going now, and then adjust the budget to how you would allocate the money...and then compare.

I am willing to bet that the majority of voters in our country are sick of seeing commercial after commercial of attack ads and political mumbo-jumbo. This practice is probably causing more people NOT to vote, than it is encouraging people TO VOTE. That is why my suggestion does away with this practice (on a voluntary basis of course).

Why is all this money going to such sleazy fluff that really does not matter and insults American citizens as they belittle them to malleable actors who will act upon any lurid or trivial factoid?

Aren't there millions of Americans who lack health insurance? Is the federal debt burgeoning way beyond reason? Don't millions of people starve each day in the world? How many more causes deserve this money more than political attack ads? -- read more

Just imagine how much positive press a candidate would receive from all media (press, television, internet, etc), by using their money to actually, "put their money where their mouth is". They could go all around the country and use this campaign money to set-up scholarship programs, feed the hungry, give medical insurance to kids slipping through the cracks....BASICALLY, USE THE MONEY TO HELP THE PEOPLE....the sky is the limit. Of course they will also be using these opportunities to create positive press for themselves, as well as talk about their campaign. But to what end? Helping people that need it? Or flushing it down the toilet making attack ads? Which candidate do you think the American people would vote for?

Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) have made tremendous progress in improving children’s health

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Morra Aarons Mele 5 pts

I was on my honeymoon and just saw it today- so I responded in a post just now. I don't think Bloomberg is about "presidency for sale."

http://www.blogher.com/node/19836

I'll still buy a t-shirt!

Catherine Morgan 5 pts

Hi Morra -- Hope you had a great honeymoon! Thanks for referencing my letter in your post, I guess I'm going to have to give Bloomberg a closer look.

And, I'll have to get back to you when the t-shirts become available! ;-)

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope ( http://women4hope.wordpress.com/ ) and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself ( http://catherinemarie.wordpress.com/ )

Catherine Morgan 5 pts

Presidency for Sale? Yup.

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope ( http://women4hope.wordpress.com/ ) and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself ( http://catherinemarie.wordpress.com/ )

pomerol 5 pts

According to one British newspaper, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City is going to enter the presidential race as an independent and use his personal fortune, to the tune of half a billion dollars, to run his campaign. I like Bloomberg, he's very progressive for a Republican, but if people like him can throw hundreds of millions around to campaign without busting a sweat, what are the others supposed to do? I shudder to think of the amount of advertising this will engender. —Pomerol, ziti11.com

Catherine Morgan 5 pts

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your excitement about my post. I think most Americans are ready for a change in election politics. And none of us are looking forward to the onslaught of attack ads and choreographed talking points. I agree with you that Lia of Lubeck has many great ideas...

Having witnessed the terrible and terrifying last two elections, I can only applaud any effort BlogHer will make to encourage an active and fair election. My greatest hope is that you and your editors will not be drawn into discussing the mass media’s slick and superfluous reporting of the elections: instead take a more grassroots approach.

I think that we here at BlogHer are ready to see past the sensationalizing of "wedge" issues (that only separate us), and focus on the "real" issues (that can unite us). Wouldn't it be great if the rest of the country was ready to do that too?

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope ( http://women4hope.wordpress.com/ ) and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself ( http://catherinemarie.wordpress.com/ )

Lisa Stone 6 pts

My apologies for yelling, everyone, but only all-caps will communicate the degree to which I am punching the air and yelling hoo-rah right now.

You've nailed what *I'm* looking for in a candidate Catherine -- watching someone innovate in the campaign and actually walk some of their talk would be brilliant. This is the kind of voter manifesto that Lia of Lubeck was talking about here ( http://www.blogher.com/node/14662#comment-14450 ).

Catherine, THIS is a t-shirt:

May the person who cares about the American people the most, WIN.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://www.blogher.com/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )